India government accused of vote buying

NEW DELHI, July 18 (UPI) -- The governing party of India has been accused of wholesale vote buying in order to stay in power during a battle for control of parliament.

An expected no-confidence motion has all India's political parties scrambling for allies, no matter the cost, The Times of London reported Friday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently met with India's richest man Mukesh Ambani while an MP reportedly said the ruling government was offering to pay up to 250 million rupees ($6 million) for each vote, the report said.

The political crisis was initiated when the Congress Party negotiated a nuclear deal with the United States that would allow importation of American nuclear fuel and technology. In response, the Communist Party left the coalition, leading many to expect a vote of no confidence and possibly a general election next November.

Other parties have also allegedly been involved in vote buying schemes.

"There are many like me who have been approached but no one has the spirit to come out in the open and put before the public what is happening in these dark corridors of power," said Akshay Pratap Singh, a Samajwadi Party MP, alleging that he had been offered money to vote against the government.